The Trajectory of Feminist Ideals
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IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Literature (IMPACT: IJRHAL) ISSN (P): 2347–4564; ISSN (E): 2321–8878 Vol. 9, Issue 1, Jan 2021, 57–68 © Impact Journals THE TRAJECTORY OF FEMINIST IDEALS Aasha N P Research Scholar, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India Received: 31 Dec 2020 Accepted: 07 Jan 2021 Published: 30 Jan 2021 ABSTRACT Many feminist theories originated in the West and therefore reflected the social and cultural background of the writers and the nature of social configurations within which they sought explanations. More relevant for us are the family—immediate and extended—with its hold over loyalties of its members, a deeply hierarchic society stratified by caste and class, and persistent conflicts over religion, language, ethnicity and other differences. Studied here are two novels, both translated from Malayalam-one 4“Fire, Mv Witness” called ‘Agnisakshi in Malayalam, written by Lalithambika Antharjanam, and ‘The Scent of the Other Side’ called Othappu’ in Malayalam, written by Sarah Joseph. The first one was published in 1975 and the second one in 2005. This paper traces the trajectory of feminist ideals over the span of 35 years and concludes that women have always tried to grapple with the question of women’s subjectivity and agency. They have been victims of patriarchal systems and are partial collaborators. Women sometimes wear the marks of their subordination and their inferiority with pride. Devaki in Fire, My Witness and Margalitha in The Scent of the Other Side are the two characters studied to work out a conclusion. The Indian woman has indeed achieved success in half a century of independence, but if there is to be a truly female empowerment, much remains to be done. KEYWORDS: Feminine Qualities, Social and Political, Class, Caste, Antiquit Y and Prestige, Namboodiri, Christian. INTRODUCTION Lalithambika Antharjanam’s book Agnisakhshi was originally serialized in the Mathruhhumi Illustrated Weekly. lt was published as a book by Current Books in 1976. It tells the story of a Nambudiri woman, who is attracted towards into the battle for social and political liberation but cannot easily ward off the shackles of convention that bind her. The novel dealt with disguised condemnation of aspects of class structure and activities. The novel Agnisakshi was the only one written by Lalithambika Antarjanam's. Her short stories and poems are well-known in the literary circles of Kerala. This novel was penned in the late middle age years of her life. And it went on achieve a ‘trend setter’ status in the history of Malayalam fiction, which is viewed and studied for its classical features also. lt received the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. The book was translated into English by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, named ’Fire, Mv Witness’ in 1950. The name of the original work in Malayalam ‘Agnisakshi’ would henceforth be used in this paper. Impact Factor(JCC): 5.2397 – This article can be downloaded from www.impactjournals.us 58 Aasha N P Thethikutty (Devaki or Sumitarananda), the protagonist is married to Unni Narnbudiri of the well-known Brahmin family named Manampillylllam. The young, virtuous, and loving Unni, is too conformist to be the husband of a woman with Thethikutty's progressive views. As more and more restrictions are imposed on her life at the ‘Illam’, some of them that even interfere with their marital life, Thethikutty leaves her husband’s home when the situation so demands. The elders in the family warn her that she can never return. Thethikutty reaches her paternal home in frustration. Unni wastes away his life, immersed in pious rituals and dies in sadness. His family labels him an eccentric. Thethikutty, meanwhile, is unable to accept the new-found freedom. She is not able to attain spiritual peace nor is she able to completely detach herself from filial bonds. As part of her retreat to a life of penance in the Himalayas, a chance meeting with her husband’s half-sister, the sixty-year old Mrs. K.M.K Nair (Thankam) with whom she shared a close bond of friendship, shakes her to a realization of the meaninglessness of the journey she had till then undertaken. In an intensely emotional moment, that breaks free the chains of the ascetic in her, she relates to Mrs.Nair’s son as her own unborn child whom she yearned for during her unconsummated married life. Thethikutti then hands over her wedding pendant to Mrs. Nair’s granddaughter with a request to cherish it with due regard. In the novel, the author explores the ideas of choice, detachment, renunciation, love and loyalty through three of her main characters - two women Thethikutty (Sumitarananda, Devaki Manarnpilli or Devi Bahen), Thankam Nair and one man Unni Nambudiri. Agnisakshi was a trendsetting novel that went on to break traditional approaches to enquire into the unhealthy practices and the oppression that women in the Namboothiri community suffer in their homes. It was a novel that shocked the consciousness of the community. People within the cloistered existence of the Nambudiri community as well as the others who were closely associated with the same community were taken aback to learn about what went on inside the walls of the ‘illam’. Agnisakshi written by Lalithambika Antharjanam remains one among the most celebrated works in Malayalam literature. The novel portrays in chronological order the struggles of a progressive Namboothiri (Brahmin) woman when she gets married to a highly orthodox family. The plot revolves around Thettikutty and the strife she suffers in the highly male- centred Namboodiri (house) and her passage towards emancipation. The novel picturises her conversion into a radical and later on her reconciled life in an ashram. Othappu is a Malayalam novel written by Sarah Joseph and published in 2005. The novel is the last in the trilogy which includes 'Alaahayude Penmakkal' and 'Mattathi'. While 'Mattathi' is a kind of sequel to 'Alaahayude Penmakkal', 'Othappu' follows the pattern by having a central female character and protagonist. The novel deals with the decision of a nun to step outside the congregation and to adopt a life that is free from the bondage of conventional standards and practices. In this, the character 'Marghalitha', is in conflict with the religious order and the community which is against her personal views and individual freedom. The church refuses to accept and expect her to obey the rules to the structure in place regarding those joining the convent. The English translation of the book was done by Valson Thampu and named 'Othappu: The Scent of the Other Side'. lt won the Crossword Book Award for translation. The name of the original work in Malayalam Gthopyu would henceforth be used in this paper. On the surface, Othappu is the journey of an impetous young nun, who stumbles impulsively into the wrong profession and then leaves it as she is disillusioned, of an absorbed and focused young priest who is clear that his NAAS Rating: 3.10 – Articles can be sent to [email protected] The Trajectory of Feminist Ideals 59 priesthood is his family ’s only monetary escape route, of a mad woman who calls herself receiver of the Holy Spirit, of a radical priest who lives in the jungle and of a family that is too well-known to receive an ex-nun even if she is the only daughter of the house. But beneath the polished layer the story pierces through the thin and fragile shell of complications brought forth due to orthodoxy and the struggle faced by moral conditioning. The Protagonists Devaki or Thethikutty is married to Unni Namboodiri and joins the illustrious Manampalliillam as a young bride. In the solitude that the ‘illam’ (the Namboothiri household) forces upon her and its oppressive rules— she is unable to step out of the household, is chided for her revolutionary brother's ways during the freedom struggle and has no exposure to the books and magazines that she grew up with. Unni is very good-natured but prudent and puts a life full of rituals before anything else. He loves his wife but is unable to find time for her. Devaki soon realizes that she will turn mad if she continues to live in that household. Till the end of the novel, it remains a question as to whether Devaki finds her much sought-after-freedom.Does she find it as she walks in and out of different roles—the young, dreamy Tethikutty, the fiery political activist Devaki Manampalli, the Gandhian social activist and finally, the sanyasin Surnitrananda’? lt is a question that leaves the reader thinking. She wanted to break free but is still bound by some unnamed bond to her husband to the very end. Within days of her arrival she realizes that she is in the wrong place and her husband is the wrong man. Not that he is ever cruel or angry or unconcerned towards her; only, he is a slave to the age- old rituals and customs of what is expected of the eldest male member of a traditional Namboodiri family. She says: He believes that it is his duty to strictly adhere to the dharma” enshrined in the religious text and practiced over the centuries by his ancestors” (25 Antharjanarn). Consequently, he has no time for his young bride; nor is he willing to take steps towards changing the traditional ways. He never gets angry and quietly follows the conservative elders of the famil y led by the powerful Aphan Nambrx›diri. Unni’s mother says: “Nainboodiri women were to restrict their entire lives to the kitchen and the prayer room. Their destiny was to read only the Ramayanarn and the Shiva Puranam” (24 Antharjanam).